The 'story strand' technique begins with one simple picture and by adding others to form a sequence, shows children how to build narrative in an enjoyable, creative and systematic way. Story strand activities help children weave their thoughts into a coherent pattern and so become more skilful writers.

The activities are sequenced to increase the creative and intellectual demands on pupils, and can also be used individually to highlight different aspects of the writing process such as:

Exploring the varied meanings of certain words through association webs

Moving from simple to more complex sentences

Learning how to enrich writing using strong, vivid adjectives, verbs and adverbs

Understanding how to use connectives more insightfully to give narrative a greater logical consistency

Creating narrative refinements such as subplots, flashbacks and 'cliffhangers' out of basic plot sequences

A 'thinking skills' agenda underpins each story strand game, and many promote speaking and listening skills by encouraging discussion and collaborative exploration of the images.

Supported by a companion website that includes downloadable images from the book, colour images and worked examples for the 'story string idea', additional activities and games, as well as links to the National Curriculum.